Caprese poached eggs on homemade sourdough

The long awaited project for my first recipe was homemade sourdough bread! We've lived all week with a new addition to the house, ominously growing in the corner of the kitchen under the shelter of a teacloth. But what started as a curious science experiment soon caused fear and panic. The dough was growing larger and larger every day (is Calgary a particularly yeasty climate?) and I was fighting nightmares that I might come home from work one day and find the blob had taken over, ransacked my condo, even perhaps eaten my dog. Last night I finally broke down and turned Franken-dough into sourdough.

Franken-dough, 48 hours in

Sourdough recipe:
- combine 1.5 cups flour and 1 cup water until it makes a paste
- cover loosely and leave out somewhere cool, stirring every 8-12 hours (it should grow and bubble) - this is your sourdough starter
- starter should develop a sour smell after several days (I waited 3 days, but my pastry chef friend suggests I should have waited up to a week)
- combine another cup of water and cup of flour with the starter and leave covered overnight
- divide in half - save half in a sealed container in your fridge and you can use as started next time you want to make dough
- with the remaining half, add about 3 cups more flour and water to match and combine until you get a dough-like consistency
- preheat oven to 400 degrees Celsius and shape dough (rolls, baguette etc)
- bake until outside is golden brown, dough should be about 210 degrees inside

Overall I was satisfied with how the bread turned out for it's inaugural use, however I think I should let the starter get more sour next time for more taste. I also used about a cup whole wheat flour to add extra depth to the bread.

Just after I removed it from the oven

For those of you not ambitious enough to make your own bread, you can use any store bough baguette or English muffins or biscuits in lieu for this recipe. I hope you find this recipe surprisingly easy - the secret is to be very gentle when handling the eggs.

Ingredients for Caprese poached eggs:
- bread for base
- greens (I used spinach, but basil would be delicious)
- tomatoes
- eggs
- balsamic vinegar
- butter (if you choose to pre-butter the bread)


1. Make a balsamic reduction - add approx. 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar to a saucepan and heat to high. Once the liquid is reduced by about half this should be good (it will be much sweeter and thicker). Remove from heat immediately once desired thickness is achieved.
2. You may wish to toast (or if you're me, butter and then pan-fry) the bread base so it holds the eggs better. Up to you.
3. Slice tomatoes to desired thickness - about 1/3 inch is ideal - and prepare greens so they are ready to assemble on bread.
4. To poach the eggs, bring about an inch of water to boil in a saucepan, then add a teaspoon of vinegar and salt. Keep water at a gentle boil (you should have to reduce heat).
5. Crack each egg (you should do this into a separate bowl one by one in case you break a yolk) and slide into saucepan. Note - do not overcrowd the pan. I do max 2 eggs at a time.
6. The eggs should be soft-poached in 3 minutes. For hard-poached eggs, leave them in for up to 5 minutes. Arrange tomatoes and greens on bread while eggs poach.
7. With a slotted spoon, remove each egg individually and slide on top of vegetables.
8. Drizzle the reduced balsamic on top of each stack. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy while still warm!

One of my coworkers joked recently that she knew her cooking had become routine when her husband remarked "I don't really feel like toast, and we just had eggs yesterday" when she asked what they should have for dinner. For any one in that midweek meal slump, I hope the fresh vegetables and balsamic reduction provide and unexpected flavour for an otherwise traditional fallback dinner choice.

Suggested wine pairing: mimosa would seem appropriate since this is essentially breakfast. I think you could even get away with a fruitier red, like Merlot, because of the strong, sweet flavour in the balsamic reduction. I enjoyed this with a glass of water (although am currently treating myself to a liquid dessert of Taylor-Fladgate).

Company ski trip to Banff this weekend - an education in beer and nacho pairings. I won't have a new recipe until later next week but I will make a Robbie Burns post Monday. Have a great weekend!